Question

ASSIGNMENT

Discuss the concept of "proof" as it relates to science. Make sure to provide at least one example in your discussion to facilitate the concept of proof.

Answer 1

Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. You may elaborate the answer based on personal views or your classwork if necessary.

(Answer) "Proof" is that which separates myth from science. No notion, theory or fact becomes viable unless it has been scientifically (or mathematically) proven.

At the apotheosis of every experiment, there is a theory that has been either proved or disproved. For instance, it is impossible to prove that cigarette smoking causes lung damage unless one submits enough evidence that would count as proof for the hypothesis. One could compare the lung damage on an individual who does not smoke and an individual who does. Pressure tests, tracheal damage, biopsies and other pulmonary tests would need to be taken in order to conclude that there are indeed major differences in the structural and functional damage of lung tissue in order to prove that cigarette smoking does indeed cause lung damage.

If all of these tests were not available, the surmise that cigarettes cause lung damage would remain nothing but a notion. It is true that cigarette smoking does cause damage, but if it is not proved, then it is not yet established as a scientific face. For instance, there could be some iridescent flower that grows deep in the Amazon, which could cure cancer. However, until that flower is found, tested and proved, it is not a scientific fact but merely a myth.

“Proof” as a concept is the fundamental stage of science. In fact, it is the very essence of every scientific pursuit and the reason for every scientific fact.